Had you asked me a week ago if I would ever go to Rwanda, I probably would've said no. It's not that I didn't have a desire to go, I'd actually like to go most everywhere, it's just about the means and purpose. The means would certainly come at some point, although I would've thought years and years down the road, so the big issue was the purpose. Why would I ever want to go to Rwanda, a tiny landlocked country in the middle of Africa that's most infamously known for the genocide of the 1990s?

Well, that's kind of the whole reason behind the trip - to change an image that's tarnished by such atrocities to a more welcoming society that's proud of the strides its made and the opportunities they offer. So in steps Rwandan Tourism who is making an effort to reach out to travel writers and bloggers to help improve their image. Recently they posted a contest opportunity on their Twitter page to win a week long trip to Rwanda to write about the country and the tourism opportunities. Pretty simply put, I entered and I was one of a handful of winners for this trip.

Instantly, my knee jerk reaction, I thought it was a scam and that I shouldn't go on the trip. But, despite having to pay my own airfare, I found that the offer to travel the country for a week and have all my accomodations, meals and entrance fees paid for was actually quite sincere. They've worked with other travel writers and bloggers on such opportunities in the past and I am now excited to be a part of it as well and learn more about what Rwanda has to offer.

Had you asked me a week ago to point out Rwanda to you on a map, I honestly probably wouldn't have been able to. I knew that it's a small country in the central part of Africa, but beyond that I wouldn't be exactly sure since my African geography is a bit rusty. But now I'm excited to learn more about a country and culture so drastically different from my own that I'm reading about Rwandan history and the various places that are in the country. I'm a bit ashamed of my initial ingorance of a country the size of the state of Maryland, and my concern over a scam, and am planning on moving forward to understand the country as best I can and help further relations, if only on a grassroots level, between it and the United States based on what stories I can tell from my experiences during my visit.

And now it's time to start devising a packing list and coordinating the dreaded doctor's office visit for the all important immunizations; I hate needles, but I'd much rather be poked than come down with Yellow Fever or bring home Malaria. So tomorrow I head to the doctor's office to take care of all those particulars so I can go on the trip. There's no way around it as I need a Yellow Fever immunization card to be admitted to Rwanda. I'll write more on that another time, but for now it's time to get to some researching so I have a bit better of an understanding as to where I'm going.